Florida State Seminoles
Overall Rank: #4
Conference Rank: #2 Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State Team Page
The Florida State Seminoles come into 2012 loaded with talent and experience all across the field. The 2011 season was one of streaks as the Seminoles lost five of seven early on in ACC play but, after a loss to Maryland on October 13th, they went on one of the more impressive runs in program history as they won nine of ten matches including a penalty kick shootout win over Wake Forest to win the 2011 ACC Conference Tournament. There are eight starters back in 2012 setting the stage for one of the most experienced teams in program history and one that should be primed for another run to the College Cup in San Diego.
2011 Record: 18-7-1, 5-5-0
2011 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mark Krikorian
Strengths:
The attacking prowess of the Seminole women’s soccer program has been one of the electric displays to watch over the years and 2011 did not disappoint as Florida State lit up the scoreboard 58 times. Redshirt senior Tiffany McCarty led the way in 2011 with 18 goals and she returns to lead the way along with Jessica Price. Price is a very dynamic playmaker and led the team in assists in 2011 with nine. The overall depth of the offense is another strength as Dagny Brynjarsdottir is expected to anchor the midfield. She stands 5-10.5” and should provide plenty of matchup problems for opposing midfielders trying to mark her. Kelsey Wys returns in goal in 2012 for Florida State. Wys played the majority of the games last season and had 16 wins, a goals against average of 1.01 and eight shutouts.
Weaknesses:
For the Seminoles to win the 2012 national championship they are going to have to tighten up their defense. They allowed 28 goals in 2011, and while their offense was good enough to win high scoring games, when it gets to the National Semifinal stage at the College Cup, goals become more of a premium as Stanford showed in the 2011 national semifinal beating the Seminoles 3-0. Stanford, the defending national champion, only gave up nine goals in all of 2011. The senior leadership of Tiana Brockway and Ines Jaurena, along with Kassey Kallman who will be with Team USA at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this month, will be very important in anchoring the backline for Florida State in their quest to be more of a lock-down defense.
Final Projection:
The Seminoles will get a couple of interesting early tests on the road in the opening weekend with a battle against Big East contender Marquette. An in-state road trip looms big in week two with a showdown at UCF, who should be another deep-run type of NCAA tournament team. Florida is the other big game and the Gators come to Tallahassee on August 31st. Seminole Head Coach Mark Krikorian has elevated the program into one of the nation’s elite in all of women’s college soccer. The ability to combine top flight international college players, along with locking down the best players in Florida and strong national recruiting, is what truly has elevated this program to the heights that it is today. The only thing missing is the national championship. The talent, experience, and the schedule are in place to position Florida State for a top national seed come postseason. If McCarty and Price can match or surpass their offensive production from 2011 and the defense becomes a little less vulnerable and can keep games lower scoring as the postseason evolves, then I would suspect a very probable appearance once again in the 2012 Women’s College Cup.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Tiffany McCarty, Redshirt Senior, F, 18
Assists: Jessica Price, Redshirt Senior, F, 9
Shots: Tiffany McCarty, Redshirt Senior, F, 80
Saves: Kelsey Wys, Redshirt Junior, 61
Madness 2012 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#34 Carson Pickett
